This image was taken of myself and another rider at Motobros Motocross park, located in Okeechobee, FL. The original image has two riders shown riding across some rollers on the track. I am the rider on the right side of image, aligned closer to the center of the original photo. I decided to crop the rider on the left from the photo to simplify the image and bring the rider on the right more into focus for the viewer.
To crop this photo I brought the focus towards the right side of the image and cropped the rider on the left out of the image. I followed the rule of thirds and placed the upper left grid line intersection across the riders chest. This tighter crop brought the rider closer to the viewer and allowed more focus on the riders eyes and hand position on the handlebars more prominent. It also made the roost off of the back tire more visible to the viewer.
Hello David:
WOW! What an action shot! Both the original and cropped looks great. Just the photo itself reminds me of when I play MotoCross on my video game systems. Its exciting! Even though the newer Motocross games have become a lot more fun. With the tighened control and better AI — it makes for a better game.
Not only that, look at the lead on your cropped photo. With the action shot, it looks like its about to take off from the photo itself! Not only that, rule of 3rds look great, the contrast is nice, it puts you there! I can make a poster out of this one. Very impressive.
Thank you! I appreciate the kind words and feedback!
By cropping out the other rider, the story seems to shift from that of a possible race to a complete victory. The rider is now alone with just one other person far off in the distance. The rider in the background is someone I would not have noticed without cropping out the composition allowed me to see more of the original photo by cutting out parts that stole my focus. Great action shot and great composition.